THEATRE GOSSIP #369: "Some felt BETRAYAL reached a climax too early in this production" Edition.

I’ll never get why Hiddleston resigned himself to doing theatre. Not that he’s doing badly, mind you, but he’s a hot piece of ass despite his age and he’s clearly talented as far as acting goes. Why doesn’t he try harder at having a film career? I thought he was great in High-Rise.

If he has a hot ass, he's extra fortunate because the face...

In other news, the much discussed Michael Jackson musical is soldiering on, now called "MJ."

I just saw Roma Torre's NY1 review of Slave Play. I would say that she loathed it.

The NY Times review however seems to be touting Jeremy Harris as the new Tony Kushner/Tennessee Williams/Arthur Miller.

The most shocking thing is there seems to be plenty of seats available as early as Tuesday night! Where's the audience!?!?

" Where's the audience!?!?"

Avoiding it, perhaps? Harris didn't do himself any favors when he blathered on about Rhihanon being some sort of goddess or whatever he called her. If he worships someone like her, he has nothing to say that I want to hear.

R3 I hope they keep this scene from the previews.

I heard Harris on Nico's podcast a couple of years ago. He was insufferable. I remember he said something like "I'm so into [insert random word] right now." He was even worse a guest than Colby Keller.

R2 His ass makes up for it.

After reading the review of Slave Play, i remembered that there was a hot ticket play at the Public a few years ago, that I didnt see, but remember reading raves about it, and expected it to transfer to Broadway, or, at least, have a life after the Public run. I want to say the name was Slave Ship? or something similar? It was also about black's place in history, and white racism, but, as I recall, it had more of gay subtext. Does anyone remember the play I'm thinking of? Does anyone know what became of it?

Saw Almost Famous over the weekend at the Old Globe. Huge disappointment. It's a paint by numbers carnival ride that pretty much uses the screenplay verbatim as the book. Tom Kitt is completely the wrong person to have written the score as, with the exception of one song in each act, nothing sounds like rock music or 70s period or as reflecting the material at hand at all. (And both of those new songs are the only ones that work at all.) The opening number, "1973" sounded like "Good Morning, Baltimore." Making it even more plainly obvious is when they sneak snatches of actual 70s rock songs in, from Ramble On by Led Zeppelin to Jean Genie by David Bowie. They also perform, in full, Tiny Dancer, The Wind and River, which is shoehorned in so poorly in the 2nd act after a ridiculously obvious and badly written 1st act forewarning. And like Tootsie, all the new songs are forgettable.

The direction is awful. Jeremy Herrin's idea of working with his leads is to sit them all down and make them watch the movie over and over again while yelling "DO THAT!" Some listened, like Colin Donnell, who does Billy Crudup to a T (and there's nothing more to say about him) and young Casey Likes, who mimics every inflection of Patrick Fugit. Likes, however, has a gorgeous, if not quite trained, voice and charm to spare. They got very lucky with him. Several of the supporting roles also completely mimic their film counterparts, including Anika Larsen, who wants so badly to do more and you can see her struggling. She has a good number that opens the 2nd act called "Rock Stars Have Kidnapped My Son" which is part song, part monologue, the dialogue of which is NOT in the film, and it's the only time she is able to bring her own performance into it, and she knocks it out of the park. I felt sorry for her.

Drew Gehling plays Jeff Beebe and is terribly miscast (and he knows it), though he's busting his ass out there to try and make it work. The four Band-Aids have been cast like a Benetton ad. One is black, one is Asian, one is latina and one is grossly overweight. It wouldn't have bothered me if the effort wasn't so nakedly obvious. (They cast the rest of the band Stillwater slightly similarly and it doesn't stick out the way this did.)

The gal playing Penny Lane makes zero impression outside of her impossibly long legs. She's totally charmless, her voice is like wallpaper and she's a pale imitation of Kate Hudson (which...c'mon). You're left scratching your head as to why these two guys are so crazy about her. The actor playing Lester Bangs has more chemistry with Casey Likes than she does.

Oh, and I have to give a special shout out to the two worst performances, Sam Gravitte as the new manager of Stillwater (the Jimmy Fallon role in the film), who stepped on everyone's lines and either missed his cues or jumped the gun on them and recited his lines as though he'd been handed the script five minutes prior (and no, he was not understudying. That's his role.) And Julia Cassandra playing Polexia (the Asian Band Aid) who spoke in total 21st century "mean girls" inflection and vocal fry throughout the show, as well as using similar body language and gestures. Every time she was on stage, she took me completely out of the show. She should be fired immediately. But then so should the director for allowing it.

All in all, another soulless Disneyfied carnival ride for musical theater, and the perfect tourist trap for Broadway.

The curtain call is the best thing about the show. If the rest of the nearly three hour night were as creative and infectious and full of as much pure joy as it was, then the show would have been a triumph.

Slave Play was hoorrrrrrrible.

R11 Presume the reviews are uniformly all raves.?

Only from the woke SJW apologists.

I loathe the Post's politics, but the review is right on point.

OP, I don't understand 'avoid seat B3'.

[quote]Saw Almost Famous over the weekend at the Old Globe. Huge disappointment.

Hated the movie and never got the Cameron Crowe adulation.

R15, a few weeks ago it was reported that a woman seated in B3 masturbated, apparently to completion, while staring at Hiddleston.

I found out on Saturday that Ali Stroker only performs six shows a week. It’s noted in the Playbill, but not In the ticketing process or on the website.

Terrible production. Not nearly as smart or critical of America as it wants to be, unless you consider sugar-laden cornbread and chili flavored with dusty spices to be trenchant. More off-pitch singing than any Broadway show not starring Lauren Bacall or Elaine Stritch. Lots of touches that are not integrated together into any kind of real vision. What production of Oklahoma has people sitting around for the whole show? The one that has a warning for children.

I thought I might go back to see Ali Stroker, but decided against by intermission.

Is the Ado Annie understudy also in a wheelchair?

No. She was a decent singer and actor, but she looked extremely awkward. Apparently, the earlier productions had an Ado Annie who was not in a wheelchair.

LINDA VISTA is probably a good play, but the main character is such a douchebag from beginning to end, who'll want to see it? There's no character arc, he's the same miserable fuck throughout the play, and the character learns nothing by the end.

BELLA BELLA is Harvey playing Bella Abzug with no drag, just his big lumpy self dressed in black, with painted toenails. No attempt to even sound like Bella.

Why is everyone getting so fucking lazy and still charging top prices?

SLAVE PLAY's longest section is an interminable scene of group therapy unpacking the sex acts of the first section. It's long and dull and laden with therapy-speak, which it satirizes, but only sorta. It is basically boring.

Just heard through the grapevine that Wildhorn's Bonnie & Clyde musical will finally making its West End debut next year, followed by a UK tour. Any truth to that? I've seen no announcement on BWW.

Law & Order in the background. That voice made me look up.

Does the actress in a wheelchair get the star dressing room on the ground floor or does someone have to carry her chair upstairs to the chorus dressing rooms? Those old Broadway theaters weren't built for handi-capable performers.

Now that THE LIGHTENING THIEF has started previews....

TOOTSIE is no longer the worst-selling musical on Bway.

But still at under 70% capacity.

Woo-hoo! This is on in an hour.....

Murder, She Wrote

TODAY, 1:00 PM ON COZI 4.2, 1 HR 1985 TV-PG

Season 1 • Episode 12 • Broadway Malady

Jessica suspects there's more there than meets the eye when a budding stage actress is critically wounded during a mugging. Milton Berle has a cameo. Rita Talbot: Vivian Blaine. Barry Bristol: Gregg Henry. Marc Faber: Robert Morse. Patti Bristol: Lorna Luft.

[quote]Does the actress in a wheelchair get the star dressing room on the ground floor or does someone have to carry her chair upstairs to the chorus dressing rooms? Those old Broadway theaters weren't built for handi-capable performers.

Circle is pretty modern, though, so it might have elevators.

R18 Dame Diana Rigg will have lazy bitches guts for garters. 6 shows a week? Why even bother casting the lazt slut

So a singer’s name flew into my head who I literally had not thought of in decades and I was left wondering about her and knew you all will have the scoop. WHET Linda Ender?

Wikipedia doesn’t fill in much, she was a sudden sensation in Jekyll and Hyde, beloved by Rosie and I recall a mainstream album that had the gays touting her as the second coming of LuPone. It mentions a musical she was in based on Camille Claudel and more albums that a nobody has a right too, but nothing substantial since the 90s. Why didn’t she have more of a career as a singer and Broadway star? And what was her somewhat successful hit song late 90s that the gays seemed to love?

[quote]WHET Linda Ender?

It's "EDER" you peasant.

And my ex-husband, Frank Wildhorn, had me blacklisted from Broadway.

She was her, Don Quixote.

Right after HE was blacklisted from Broadway.

I really enjoy Linda Eder's voice. Her "Broadway, My Way" album is very good. "Gold," from the above is a fantastic number

Linda Eder also had a lovely Christmas cd.

I have a serious question. During a musical, do the dancers have time to shower? They do a huge, strenuous dance number at the close of Act 1. Do they have time to shower or do they just sit around backstage in their sweaty costumes?

No, r36. They only have enough time to masturbate.

Re Almost Famous at the Old Globe - it got across-the-board rave reviews, including from Charles McNulty in the LAT, who is not easy to please. Most thought it could give Moulin Rouge some genuine Tonycompetition if it comes in this season.

R36, I really don't think they have time to shower and re-apply makeup. A camera outside one theater shows that some choose to go outside and dance frantically, all the while complaining about how hot it is.

Tom Hiddleston used to be sexy when he was young. What happened?

But his ass is still great, as seen in R8.

[quote]But his ass is still great

Pfffffffffft! That's a stunt ass.

RE: Linda Eder

R30 [quote]It mentions a musical she was in based on Camille Claudel...

R34 [quote]Her "Broadway, My Way" album is very good. "Gold," from the above is a fantastic number ...

"Gold" is the final number from Camille Claudel. And it is a fantastic number. Linda Eder played the title role with Michael Nouri as her lover Rodin in a workshop production at Goodspeed many years ago. It was rumored that her affair with Nouri was the cause of her divorce from Frank Wildhorn.

Camille Claudel the Musical is coming to the Signature Theatre in DC this season. They are billing it as the "world-premiere run" which, in my opinion, it is not.

Frank Wildhorn, for all the scorn and ridicule he gets here on DL, is a sweetheart and very talented man. No one writes a power ballad better.

IMHO

[quote] Re Almost Famous at the Old Globe - it got across-the-board rave reviews, including from Charles McNulty in the LAT, who is not easy to please. Most thought it could give Moulin Rouge some genuine Tonycompetition if it comes in this season.

McNulty is hardly difficult to please.

The few reviews that Almost Famous got were not all raves. Outside of McNulty, they were good, but not raves, and they never really went into detail as to what made the show work. I'm not sure they know. If you're the kind of person who likes to see Ice Capade versions of your favorite movies, then yes, you'll jizz over AF until the cows come home.

Saw 'Becoming Nancy' in Atlanta. Reminded me a lot of 'The Prom'. Needs to lose about ten minutes of second act, needs the first act climax restaged and needs a better set designer. Decent score and some nice performances. I've known Zachary Sayle, the lead since he was ten. He's grown up kind of nerdy cute.

But, Wildhorn never copulated with Eder, right? Cause I met him once and flames, flames, flames, on the side of my face.

Well, Linda and Frank have a child, so there's that. Of course, I suppose that might not be as straightforward as one would assume.

I’ve seen Linda Eder 3 or 4 times in concert or cabaret. I think she’s great. I remember seeing her in Jekyll and Hyde with Christiane Noll and thinking I’d never heard more beautiful voices in my life.

Curious about Slave Play dropping 62K from last week. And yet they are at 94 percent capacity, yet only approximately 42 percent of gross potential.

They're cooking the books, Rose.

Well, Linda Eder is no Sarah Brightman!

And they're no.....ME!

Reviews for Heroes of the Fourth Turning are largely excellent. Surprised the hell out of me. I thought it a pretentious mess.

Jesus! Must everything on Broadway be politicized? Can't we just be entertained?

[quote]But, Wildhorn never copulated with Eder, right? Cause I met him once and flames, flames, flames, on the side of my face.

I met Wildhorn once briefly, and he didn't at all strike me as gay. Are you sure you're not confusing him with someone else?

Perfect example of a Frank Wildhorn/Linda Eder power ballad collaboration: Vienna

this thread is crawling, too. and it isn't even behind a paywall yet.

Thanks for your contribution .

This is the Company key art?

That's similar to the full-page ad that ran in the Times on Oct. 6, R58. She wasn't holding a glass, though, and her smile was more rueful amid all the mylar balloons.

R59 Thank you beautiful

Nobody ever talks about this Jamie....

Jamie is over and Jamie is done.

Holy shit, r58, I saw that a few days ago and assumed it was something put together by a fan. I had no idea it was an actual PR thing.

I must say, seeing that quick glimpse of Richard Fleeshman stripped down to only his well-packed briefs made me sad that he's not going to be doing the NY version.

R63 The image looks really flip to me, like she is attending a Barbie Princess party.

Richard is very...talented

But I really want Jonty Bailey to come. Ever since Broadchurch I have adored him. And those reviews for Company were very very very very good.

Slave Play is the most brilliant piece of literature ever written. It is a raw and uncompromising look at the foundations of white racism, a topic that has been ignored for too long. anyone who does not love it or refuses to see it is a blatant racist and potential white supremacist.

R65, Jonathan Bailey has become a Shonda Rhimes boy now. He is co-starring in her new series.

Someone mentioned in the last thread that Matt Doyle is playing Jamie, but I don't know if they really knew something or were just goofing.

R67 I heard, I think we need to organize a rescue party.

Bailey was also great in the Phoebe W-B series CRASHING.

And Doctor Who

Jonty in Crashing

Wildhorn is a total and complete hack.

He’s practically Shelley Hack.

Shelley Hack wasn't competent enough to be a hack.

Frank Wildhorn wrote the score for WONDERLAND: 30 previews, 33 performances on Bway in 2011.

Alongside ALICE AT THE PALACE (by Elizabeth Swados) and ALICE BY HEART (by Duncan Sheik), these 3 represent 1) 3 of the worst shows I've experienced in my life, and 2) arguably, the worst work in the lives of 3 composers with literally, nothing in common with one another...

Except that they all wrote musicals based on ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

Therein lies the lesson.

I can't find the picture, sadly, but the photo at R74 reminds me of one of the illustrations from "Little Me," by Patrick Dennis, in which Belle Poitrine is costumed as Alice in a bid to be cast in Paramount's 1930s movie version of "Alice In Wonderland." She's wearing Alice's traditional puffy-sleeved dress and pinafore, except that the dress is low-cut to display Belle's ample bosom.

I'm unfamiliar with those other versions, but it serves the point: has there ever been a good musical adaptation of ALICE?

I mean, besides this one.

[quote]I'm unfamiliar with those other versions, but it serves the point: has there ever been a good musical adaptation of ALICE?

Even Disney's 1950s animated version was a box-office disappointment, and Walt himself didn't like it, saying that it lacked "heart." It was shown on television fairly early, at a time when the classic animated features were never shown on television but instead re-released to theaters every seven years.

My god, I saw that as a child, and didn't even recall it being a musical, R79.

Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle in Paramount's 1933 (non-musical) movie adaptation, in which Belle Poitrine hoped to star. The all-star cast also included Gary Cooper as the White Knight and W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty (the movie combined characters from "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"). But Paramount made the mistake of making the stars unrecognizable under heavy masks and costumes, a mistake that MGM was determined to avoid six years later in "The Wizard of Oz."

R80 Really? There are like 20 songs in that movie.

Were/are any of them memorable?

The songs were jaunty and amusing enough, R83, but certainly not on the level of the scores to "Pinocchio" or "Snow White."

My favorite was "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

I love the songs in Disney's "Alice in wonderland." The title song is delightful, and "Very Good Advice" is superb. If you've only heard it in the movie, you wouldn't know, because Kathryn Beaumont couldn't sing for shit and for some reason Disney didn't get a different voice to sing the songs.

“I’m Late” had a bit of a life from Disney’s Alice. Barbara Cook, of all people, recorded a fun version of it.

As did the other TRUE Babs.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find it either, r77.....

I always liked her in The Scarlet Letter, myself...

R90 was it better than Demi Moore's version?

Sur le plage....

Lunching with "Roz."

A low point....

Devoted mother Belle with her cherished Baby-dear.

[R86]: Disney's Alice in Wonderland had probably the best song score of any musical version of the source material. Interestingly, few of the songs, with the exception of "Golden Afternoon," are sung complete in the film, but remain fragmentary, interrupted by some kind of action. As noted, Kathryn Beaumont, otherwise the perfect voice for ever-prim Alice, can't really sing, and breaks up the "Golden Afternoon" sequence when she can't reach a note, and her voice breaks.

Interestingly, there was no soundtrack recording issued for the Disney Alice, until a CD in the 1990's, perhaps because of the fragmentary nature of the recordings used in the film. Consequently, during the 50's, the Disney company released a re-recording of the score, conducted by Camarata, with Mousketeer Darlene Gillespie singing Alice. The arrangements are not the same as those in the film, neither is the choral work, but Gillespie records the only, as far as I know, complete rendition of the best song in the score, "Very Good Advice," which is wonderful, and well deserves a life beyond the score. A perfect torch song.

Frankly, I have never understood the fascination Alice in Wonderland has for film and theater writers. Alice is more or less a passive observer, while all kinds of crazy antics occur around her. Though she encounters sometimes terrifying experiences, she wakes up at the end, the same rather bland, ever prim young English girl. (Hey! It was all a dream!) Unlike, say, a similar character in The Wizard of Oz, Alice doesn't really have an emotional through line; her only character trait being mostly her curiosity. Not much on which to construct a story, though the books are longterm bestsellers. (You can get away with a lot more in a book...)

I actually don't think there's ever been a successful theater or film version of the tale. Andre Gregory's psychedelic take on it in the early 70's had a kind of success, but hardly any further than Off Off Broadway. No film version has ever been successful. (The Disney cartoon was a flop when originally released in 1951, but found an audience in the 1970's, when it was marketed to the psychedelic crowd, and is now regarded as a classic. Disney, himself, was displeased with it, when he noted that his animators seemed to try to outdo each other in craziness with their sequences, which never ultimately meshed. The best sequence in it is probably the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, but, like everything else in the movie, that comes and goes, before we are subjected to yet another crazy antic. The voices in the film, though, are perfect, from Little Miss Brit Beaumont to Ed Wynn's Mad Hatter and Verna Felton's Queen of Hearts. And the color and design by Disney stalwart Mary Blair, probably her best work, are beautiful.)

The TV version of Alice in Wonderland from '85 with Carol Channing and a whole slew of well-known folks was pretty good. It was a musical and I still remember some of the songs, so that must be a positive sign. That version seems fairly beloved by people my age.

R96, the Eva le Gallienne production in 1932-33 was a huge success. It not only ran for over a year, but sparked an interest in all things Alice. Anything that one could slap an image of Alice in Wonderland on, was made. Unfortunately, the revival in the 1980s just could not capture the magic of the original.

I miss Follies.

Writers are attracted to Alice because it offers an excuse to write a bunch of songs as opposed to a unified score. More specifically, it affords lazy songwriters the opportunity to fall back on pastiche.

What they always find out too late is that the story has no dramatic spine. Picaresque and episodic tales generally don’t work on stage.

"Sweet Charity" gets revived fairly often, though. After the Widow Simon croaks, will they commision a whole new book?

[quote] Alice doesn't really have an emotional through line; her only character trait being mostly her curiosity. Not much on which to construct a story, though the books are longterm bestsellers. (You can get away with a lot more in a book...)

The two "Alice" books are also incredibly witty and just a lot of fun to read. But the reason the Disney movie lacked heart was because the story, essentially, has no heart, which makes it a poor choice to adapt into a musical.

[quote]The TV version of Alice in Wonderland from '85 with Carol Channing and a whole slew of well-known folks was pretty good. It was a musical and I still remember some of the songs, so that must be a positive sign. That version seems fairly beloved by people my age.

It's nice that you enjoyed it, but have you watched any of it recently? The songs, by Steve Allen, are mostly terrible, as a couple of the clips on this thread attest. And Allen tried to give it a "Wizard of Oz"-like ending, with the Wonderland characters singing about how much they love Alice and how much they're going to miss her, which is about as far away from the witty and cerebral tone of the original books as it's possible to get.

The Duncan Sheik Alice was a steaming pile of dogshit

[quote]The Duncan Sheik Alice was a steaming pile of dogshit

I suspect that the only place in the entire universe where this statement would be remotely comprehensible is right here on the Datalounge.

R106 LOL! It took me a moment to realize what 'Duncan Sheik Alice' meant.

Sorry, guys. I assumed since we were talking about Alice in Wonderland and the Duncan Sheik version just happened that it would be more apparent. : )

[R96] here again.

I acquired the laser disk release of Disney’s Alice back in the 90’s, a heavy box containing several disks. Among the multitude of extras included were audio demos of maybe 50 songs that were never used. My eagerness to hear unknown treasures quickly waned; practically all of them were unmemorable clever ditties, nothing more. It was actually a chore to listen to them all.

There are reasons why deleted songs are called that.

Maybe our next gossip thread can be dominated by Fiddler on the Roof? Bette Midler, Adrienne Barbeau and a host of others cycled through the original production.

DL obsession Luke Evans (to some, anyway) is releasing his first album.

I never miss a Lee Evans album.

I can’t believe they misspelled Letch’s last name in that movie poster at r90! It’s Letch FEELY, not Fleely!

Remember when Belle Poitrine and Letch Feely built their own version of Pickfair? They called it Belleletch.

Letch Feeley gives me all the feels.

Okay, so I've been out of the loop and just learned that mixed-race and effeminately gay Isaac Powell has been cast as Tony, the former gang leader of Polish descent, in the upcoming West Side Story revival. WTF?! And I thought Richard Beymer in the film was miscast!

Doesn't Isaac Powell playing Tony pretty much negate the story?

I look forward to the plexiglass set and video projections.

I look forward to the one door set and video projections

I posted first about all the bad musical ALICEs upthread, and I just want to thank some of you for sharing some very knowledgeable, insightful posts on the subject! Some of you are just so savvy and interesting.

Now... let's resume our usual petty cuntiness.

Will Isaac show his bare ass in the bed scene as Paul Nolan did at Stratford?

Letch

Steve Allen and John Barry each wrote one for TV. Also bad.

I forgot about the John Barry Alice in Wonderland. I believe that was a British theatrical film, though. Some pretty songs, though. There was one called The Me I Never Knew which was covered by a few people.

So, we've settled that!

Alice in Wonderland just doesn't work as musical theater OR film.

New topic!

What's Mario Cantone up to?

[quote] What's Mario Cantone up to?

About 10/10 on the screeching decibel level.

Honey, the Datalounge has PLENTY of lonely gay men of its own.

Yours are merely superfluous to need.

"Slave Play" has extended its run.

Pink flamingos....

R129 Why? I thought it wasn't selling well and the article doesn't state a reason.

So this is turning into a fucking Alice in Wonderland thread? How about Suessical instead?

R132 the topic came up and it was surprising how many musical adaptations there have been, most of them so-so or just downright bad. I don't know why that seems unsuitable for this thread.

Throw it into the mix, r132! Unless you have something better. I assume if there was something more theatrically earth shattering out there, someone would post about it. Or we could just let the thread stand still and petrify.

Let's shake it up with some Benay!

Well...we could talk about....I dunno.

Linda Eder still plays in the stix--she does her holiday show about an hour north of NYC

Fuck off Benay!

r40, He decided to lose weight. Got wizened.

He already had witch face.

R140 LOL!

There should be a thread about celebs with witch faces.

My contribution: Reese Witherspoon

Oh c'mon, r138, she DID need the softness.

Slave Play is only extending two weeks. And I'll bet $20 right now the extension is quietly rescinded during the holidays. They can't keep papering that flop forever.

I did NOT say "Fuck off, Benay" dammit! I said "Fuck YOU, Benay." Get your motherfucking facts straight!

Did Jackie Susann ever hit on Benay when she realized she couldn't get to Ethel?

[quote]Slave Play is only extending two weeks. And I'll bet $20 right now the extension is quietly rescinded during the holidays. They can't keep papering that flop forever.

Why even bother extending for two weeks? I guess they view it as something on which to pin a pointless press release. In this case, one of those stupid "shatters box-office records at the ______ Theater" obviously wasn't going to work.

[quote]So this is turning into a fucking Alice in Wonderland thread?

Hey, it's not "Follies" or "Gypsy."

I find it's turning more Pousse Cafe.

[quote] Why even bother extending for two weeks? I guess they view it as something on which to pin a pointless press release. In this case, one of those stupid "shatters box-office records at the ______ Theater" obviously wasn't going to work.

That's exactly why. It's a ploy to stir up interest by making the gullible think there are very few tickets left in hopes they'll proclaim, "Oh my god, that SJW screed I've been bullied into thinking is good for me is close to sold out. I'd better get a ticket before it's too late to have a miserable time."

R149 LOL

Strange that the article didn't list a reason for the extension.

I heard the press release initially was titled "Browbeating to Continue Another 16 performances for Slave Play" but it was nixed at the last minute.

[quote]Did Jackie Susann ever hit on Benay when she realized she couldn't get to Ethel?

Why would anyone try to "get" Ethel? Mary Martin I can see. But Ethel? Ewwwwwwww.

MM

R136 Christine Baranski sounded great on that track, but apparently it was Faith Prince who got the best reviews in the flop musical. If only Baranski had kept up her voice by the time she did "Follies".

I don't recall asking for a Michael Jackson musical. Did any of you ask for a Michael Jackson musical?

Merman wasn’t too bad in the early 1940s, when Jackie would have known her. Plus she had a great pair of knockers.

I'd like remake of this musical.

The counterpoint of rhythm and melody in this song still gives me goosebumps

I love Ethel’s performance in that number. When she sings the song for the second time her showbiz performing instincts kick in big time, and she is just so dammed funny and joyous. Her arm movements always crack me up.

[quote]Christine Baranski sounded great on that track, but apparently it was Faith Prince who got the best reviews in the flop musical. If only Baranski had kept up her voice by the time she did "Follies".

I saw Nick and Nora twice. Once in early previews and once right before it opened. It was one of those musicals where you just think "This can't fail." And they started announcing the cast and it was a list of some of Broadway's best talents.

And then I went to see it and I thought, "Sweet mother of God, this show is terrible. I mean really bad." It was the most lush train wreck I've ever seen.

Poor Christine. In the middle of it all, they yanked her song that wasn't working and replaced it with a song that was just as bad. Faith Prince had a showy role, but I don't think she was any better than anyone else. Debra Monk also did excellent work with very poor material.

I know Arthur Laurents, in his book, blamed a lot of different things, but he was truly to blame for it. The story was confusing, the direction was a mess. And worst of all, they played it like a murder mystery rather than a bubbly comedy with a bit of mystery thrown in.

And at first, I thought Joanna Gleason and Barry Bostwick were well cast, but then when I saw the show I thought different. Gleason didn't have the sassy verve that Myrna Loy had and Bostwick didn't have Powell's effete drunk.

And worst of all, the PR Department dragged poor Myrna Loy to see the show. At late-eighties years old, she had to sit through that shit and then smile and say how it brought back many happy memories for her.

Has anyone seen The Inheritance yet? I’m seeing both parts on Saturday.

[quote]And worst of all, they played it like a murder mystery rather than a bubbly comedy with a bit of mystery thrown in.

Bingo. That’s the thing about musical mysteries; the mysteries can’t be the focal point. They take up too much real estate in our minds and the songs just get in the way.

The Michael Jackson musical is titled MJ? Perhaps because I grew up with brothers and a father who were sports nut, MJ to me is Michael Jordan.

[quote]Bingo. That’s the thing about musical mysteries; the mysteries can’t be the focal point.

Even in the films, the murders were almost secondary. You had Nick and Nora ripping off comedy bits all the way through the movies.

The Michael Jackson musical is titled MJ?

They should have titled it BJ.

[quote] And worst of all, the PR Department dragged poor Myrna Loy to see the show

I got paid a cool coupla thou for three hours’ work, so what the fuck did I care about how shitty the show was? Besides, I turned my hearing aid off for Act Two and took a nap, so I was refreshed and ready to lie when I had the meet and greet afterwards.

I still think Gleason and Bostwick were perfect for it. It wasn't their faults. The book sucked, making Nick and Nora into a battling couple that took all the fun out of it. The conflict between them should have been about who could solve the crime. The only one who got out alive was Faith Prince, who was funny. And the best number was when the cast starts kicking her body all the way downstage.

[quote]And the best number was when the cast starts kicking her body all the way downstage.

LOL! What?

Gleason and Bostwick are supporting actors. That alone makes them wrong to play the leads in anything.

Incidentally, Joanna Gleason met husband Chris Sarandon while working on NICK & NORA. It was the third marriage for both.

Barry Bostwick played leading roles -- and apparently played them very well -- in the original Broadway production of GREASE, in the almost original Broadway cast of THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, and in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Joanna Gleason has played few if any leading roles that I know of, instead earning several major awards and nominations for featured roles, but she certainly has the talent for it. Anyone who thinks NICK & NORA was the fault of anyone other than Arthur Laurents is an ignoramus.

Joanna Gleason was one of the stars of I Love My Wife and won the Tony for Best Actress for Into the Woods. She has graduated to supporting parts...

And, yes, there was a number in the show where at the end of it, they formed a kickline and came downstage together, pretending to kick Faith Prince's body as she rolled down in front of them. It was probably the highlight of the show.

How can a misanthropic play like Linda Vista get raves, when there is no character arc and no real story, as the character is still the same loathsome pig in the last scene as he is in the first? Oh yeah, women of all ages will really love Second Stage for throwing this thing at them.

R173 Was it supposed to be comical? Sounds like a bizarre sight.

Faith's Anna.....

I saw part 1 of The Inheritance last weekend. It does not disappoint.

[quote]Was it supposed to be comical? Sounds like a bizarre sight.

It was really pitiful. They did this scenario where every suspect reenacted their killing. Faith Prince was the victim, so she had to go through all the potential murder scenarios.

I wish her "Men" was on Youtube.

The miscasting of Isaac Powell as 'Tony' is so bizarre! It's as if they purposely didn't want to hire a straight white actor in the lead role.

None of y'all said Powell was flaming in that Island show, though....

In ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, I thought Isaac Powell came across as very young (and very beautiful) rather than gay. But I agree that he's VERY odd casting for Tony in WEST SIDE STORY, even in a production that's apparently going to be non-traditional, to put it mildly!

[quote] [R173] Was it supposed to be comical? Sounds like a bizarre sight.

It was supposed to be comical, and the number itself was the only highlight of a truly turgid evening. It was clever and funny and the song was memorable and Prince's performance was totally a "star is born" moment. You started to think- Oh, maybe the tide is turning and this show isn't going to suck 100%. But the effect of the kickline was pure "Bad Theater We Love" and ruined any good will the number had engendered and we were back to garbage. And there was a LOT of garbage to go from there.

I like Baranski (even as a singer) but that NICK & NORA song upthread is woefully bad.

There's a reason even musical theatre geeks don't know or appreciate this show.

I worked headsets at the Marquis for four shows (a weekend) on Nick & Nora, which is how I got to see it, and the show was so enervating that it took me all four performances to make it through. I watched the first act the first night and then broke up the 2nd act over three more shows.

I also got called back into the lobby a few times to take back headsets from people walking out.

Love Dorothy Collins’s voice in that clip above. And how funny that the eating sounds (fork hitting plate, etc.) of the man sitting next to her were almost as loud as her singing.

And poor Josie de Guzman was probably glad she was fired from Nick and Nora. Josie had to follow that reenactment song "A Busy Night At Lorraine's" with that stupid "Chicka Boom" number and by then everybody was halfway to their cars.

[quote]I worked headsets at the Marquis for four shows (a weekend) on Nick & Nora, which is how I got to see it, and the show was so enervating that it took me all four performances to make it through. I watched the first act the first night and then broke up the 2nd act over three more shows. I also got called back into the lobby a few times to take back headsets from people walking out.

N&N was one of very, very few Broadway shows I ever left at intermission, because I just couldn't take any more of it, and curiosity wasn't enough to make me stick around. THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC was another.

Anyone see BRING BACK BIRDIE?

The 80s was a golden age for terrible musicals, including sequels to more successful show.

[quote]THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC was another.

I saw that the night Donald Trump attended with Marla Maples! He was sitting two rows in front of me!

Also from "Your Hit Parade," Dorothy's "Unchained Melody."

Lorraine's isn't on Youtube either, r187. Oh well.....

I laughed, I cried....

That clip at R191 always makes me think of her as Young Sally. What an amazing voice she had.

For r189....

'Anyone see BRING BACK BIRDIE?"

If memory serves, Act One ended with Donald O'Connor seated on a toilet bowl while his new talent discovery, a punk band called FILTH, played their t(h)rash-y tune, while a giant latex tongue bobbed up and down in time to the rhythm stage right.

[quote]The Michael Jackson musical is titled MJ?

It was originally titled "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," but I guess they thought that with the current scandal, that was an inappropriate title.

The song at r195 is clearly an attempt to give Chita a "Spanish Rose" type of number. The song is okay (but not in the same league as "Spanish Rose"), but that choreography is just awful. Is that Joe Layton?

[quote]If memory serves, Act One ended with Donald O'Connor seated on a toilet bowl while his new talent discovery, a punk band called FILTH, played their t(h)rash-y tune, while a giant latex tongue bobbed up and down in time to the rhythm stage right.

Still sounds more entertaining than Tootsie.

Well yes, but that's a pretty low bar.

BBB Act !

Staunton & Forbes on FOLLIES....

[quote]The Michael Jackson musical is titled MJ?

It was originally titled "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough Eight-Year-Olds," but I guess they thought that with the current scandal, that was an inappropriate title.

[quote]Has anyone seen The Inheritance yet? I’m seeing both parts on Saturday.

I saw Part I last Friday night and Part II tonight. It's truly one of the best plays I've seen on Broadway in a long time with first-rate performances and a script that's equal parts funny and poetic. I don't know what's still to come this season, but based on what we've seen thus far, if Matthew Lopez does not win the Tony, then there is no justice.

I'm actually surprised there's been so little interest on this board in "The Inheritance" given that it's a gay play with wonderful writing, acting, and, yes, a lot of hot guys. One of them, Samuel H. Levine, takes his clothes off frequently throughout the play (including getting completely naked at one point), which alone was worth the price of admission.

Will "The Inheritance" likely get a movie adaptation, a la HBO's "Angels In America"? Or just a PBS filming of the stage production?

R205 Do PBS even still do that? Seems ages since I have seen an American production filmed, whilst English theatre is fucking amazing at showing their work

I (a black Brit) saw Slave Play. I hadn’t heard of it because I’m behind with the DL theatre threads but 2 different people I got talking to at other shows told me I had to see it. I thought it was terrible. There was no intermission so I couldn’t leave. Now, I am of course not descended from slaves and my culture is not haunted by the legacy of slavery so that is going to really cloud my judgments. When I see a whip my first thought is the Cheltenham horse festival. When I hear lynch I think of my lovely Irish maths teacher Mr Lynch. The white Brits I have gone out with probably read a few pages about slavery in their history class and have never thought about it since. So, I’m not the audience I guess. It did nothing for me. I overheard a white guy behind me say to his black friend before the show “I really wanted to be here to watch you watching this” Okaaay. I get the feeling this show will be eaten up by rich white liberals. The type who also like that character in the show apologise for their whiteness.

The whole effort reminded me of the old show “Maude”. I sat there bored to death in Act 3 and in my head I was thinking that this is the kind of thing Maude would have written and put on. Inevitably her white friends would think she was a genius and the black people in the audience would be rolling their eyes at the crazy white lady. I noted that the writer went to Yale so that has no doubt shaped his view and I assume he has been around a lot of well heeled interracial couples, people in therapy, people into BDSM, white people who apologise for being white, people who analyse their every thought to death. I haven’t and that world is not my world and I found much of it be be “rich people’s problems” to tell you the truth. I just couldn’t care enough about these characters and kept thinking “stop analysing everything, get a pet or a hobby and get on with life. Maybe that’s the Brit in me or the working class in me. If black Americans think this play is saying something that needs to be said and talking to them that’s great. I thought it was a total waste of an evening and I think you have to be (I hate myself for using the word) privileged and a certain “type” to think this psychosexual piece is what is needed to improve race relations.

Saw West Side Story last night at the Komische Oper in Berlin. I adored their production of Anatevka aka Fiddler on the Roof last December and I wasn’t disappointed here. Structurally WSS is a weaker show than the other, IMO. However the Komische Oper played the shit out of Bernstein’s score and that alone was well worth the ticket. Of course the Anita made the biggest impact. Tony and Maria sang it well. Tony came off as very gay, though, and Riff was a lisping queen. All the Sharks had tattoos. It was strongly implied that Lieutenant Schrank had sexually abused some of the Jets when they were younger. And it was also implied that some of the Jets had sex with each other. Riff keeps on giving Tony back rubs. The dialogue was in German but the songs were in English which was a bit strange but interesting. Most of the Jets spoke the dialogue with a strong German accent. Anyway, very glad I went.

[quote]I just couldn’t care enough about these characters and kept thinking “stop analysing everything, get a pet or a hobby and get on with life. Maybe that’s the Brit in me or the working class in me.

Thank you r207 for your perspective. This is the problem with the United States in the 21st Century. They have allowed themselves to be taken over by social justice warriors. We now have political candidates getting up in debates and saying, "My pronouns are she and her." There are residents in California who have no electricity because the power company can't do the necessary physical maintenance because a social justice warrior thinks a blade of grass may be harmed. So the power company just shut down power to avoid forest fires.

People have reached a point where liberalism has become a mental illness. Common sense has been replaced by emotional manipulation. And everyone cheers, "Yeah, we're sticking it to those who don't think like us." Slave Play is a result of that mental illness.

r208, I'm interested in how this played out. West Side Story hinges on being able to distinguish between two different ethnic backgrounds. Were you able to see that in this production?

No one said it, but Bostwick and Gleason were too old.

No one wanted to fuck either one of them, which made the banter less hot.

The Trinity Rep production where the same chorus switched between playing sharks and jets got great reviews and audience response. Surprised this has not been repeated.

R204, thanks for the reply to my earlier question about The Inheritance. I was pretty bowled over when I finished reading the play last night. It’s really affecting. I am also a huge E.M.Forster fan and, Howards End in particular, so this is very much of interest. I love Eric Glass as Margaret Schlegel in tThe novel. It works beautifully.

I’ll be in a brown satin sports jacket tonight at Part II tonight. Say hello if you see me!

R210, well, all the Sharks did have dark hair. One of them was black. The Jets were mostly guys with blond/brown hair. It was set in an undefined period, more 1980s than 1950s. It worked for me.

[quote]West Side Story hinges on being able to distinguish between two different ethnic backgrounds. Were you able to see that in this production?

Not any more, it don't! Have you SEEN photos of the cast of the upcoming Broadway production????

Doesn't it seem like the Michael Jackson producers are really scared? 'MJ' is such a wuss title, as if they're afraid to utter anything more than two letters.

I saw Nick and Nora, bought the cast recording, didn't like it them and still can't get thru it. A waste of two good stars.

I am just waiting for the bitchy, racist tweets from Jeremy Harris when The Inheritance wins all if the playwrighting awards. His tweetstream is the worst combination of pure-SJW rants and self-promotion.

Let me guess: Jeremy Harris is the playwright of the execrable “Slave Play”?

I've never seen Bostwick live but I think he's talented and probably should have had a bigger career, outside of all those TV miniseries based on Judith Krantz novels. Remember them?

Joanna Gleason definitely should have had a bigger stage career. I think her last job was DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, 14 years ago. And NICK & NORA was 14 years before that.

Did N&N put a curse on her career?

Ooops, yes sorry Jeremy Harris is the author of Slave Play.

R218, if he did, that position would be really difficult to sustain given that Matthew Lopez is not white.

And Harris is himself a gay man.

God how I detest(ed) those imbecilic '80s shoulder pads, r220.

[quote] The dialogue was in German but the songs were in English which was a bit strange but interesting. Most of the Jets spoke the dialogue with a strong German accent.

If the dialogue was in German, wouldn't you want it to have a strong German accent?

[quote]Doesn't it seem like the Michael Jackson producers are really scared? 'MJ' is such a wuss title, as if they're afraid to utter anything more than two letters.

I had exactly the same reaction. MJ is not so awful a title as the previous, ridiculous one, but it's still really bad.

[quote]I've never seen Bostwick live but I think he's talented and probably should have had a bigger career, outside of all those TV miniseries based on Judith Krantz novels.

From Wikipedia: "In 1997, Bostwick was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and had his prostate removed in July 1997. In 2004, he won the Gilda Radner Courage Award from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute." I expect that put something of a damper on his career during a period when it would probably have been at its height.

I'm so sick of it. Both leads are non white. Whatever. I'm latino so shut up. But must they always cast an ugly black male? Geez. (still throwing up from Hercules) UGH. And now even fucking "Footloose" has to have a political message for DC, he says. Give me a fucking break. St. Catherine's Player's did it first anyway. If you go, please let me know what that message is.

My friend saw Footloose in D.C. a couple nights ago and said it was awful. And he said that the lead was fuggo.

Age wise, Bostwick's career should have been at its height in the 70s and 80s. By the late 90s, he was quite old in Hollywood terms. IIRC, he was a regular on that Michael J. Fox sitcom, SPIN CITY.

[quote]I'm so sick of it. Both leads are non white. Whatever. I'm latino so shut up. But must they always cast an ugly black male? Geez. (still throwing up from Hercules) UGH

Well, I would HARDLY describe the actor who played Hercules as ugly. But a major part of the reason he was cast was because he's African American, so the rest of your point stands.

[quote]Age wise, Bostwick's career should have been at its height in the 70s and 80s. By the late 90s, he was quite old in Hollywood terms. IIRC, he was a regular on that Michael J. Fox sitcom, SPIN CITY.

Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "height," but if he hadn't gotten cancer, I expect he would have had a better middle-aged career in film and TV, along the lines of Treat Williams, Richard Gere, and others of his contemporaries.

Love this response on ATC to the news that Slave Play was extending for two weeks:

I believe this is an example of "fake news" that we have heard so much about. I would hardly call playing to 42% of Gross Potential, with an average ticket price of $58.90, to be successful.

By what statistical measure do they call this the "most talked about play of the year"? Did they monitor everyone's conversation all around the Theater District and in their offices and their living rooms?

Perhaps they think their numbers will magically increase over the lucrative holiday season. Perhaps they think tourists from all over will say "Oh no, I don't want to see Dear Evan Hansen" or "Moulin Rouge" or "Aint Too Proud". I just gotta see "Slave Play". I've been thinking about it every day, all day, every waking minute. I'm obsessed with it, I can't wait to see it, I'm talking about it with everyone I know every second of the day.

Why don't they extend another few years? Keep throwing money down the toilet.

Bostwick was never cute enough but had sex appeal. Just wasn't cute enough. Not some good singer either. I like him though. Isaac is so wrong for Tony. haha. But they always cast that role a little fay, don't you think? R230 Please stop. He was ugly as fuck and gay as all hell. Just gross. You won't changed my mind. He should have been masculine and gorgeous. Black, F*g, or not. And the troll playing Hercules is an immigrant. What a coincidence. 🤔

[quote] And the troll playing Hercules is an immigrant. What a coincidence. 🤔

Jelani Alladin, who played Hercules, was born in New York.

And Jelani Alladin has a very handsome face and a gorgeous body, and he doesn't read as remotely gay on stage. R232, I know I "won't changed your mind," because you sound unhinged.

Yeah. Alladin is seriously good looking. The kid playing the lead in Footloose in DC is not.

Perhaps they should just change the name of the Michael Jackson musical to "M." After all, the story certainly shares some plot points with the Fritz Lang/Peter Lorre film of the same name.

Have they reinvented FOOTLOOSE? Have I missed something?

Why in the world are they reviving that POS show with actors of any color? Can we look forward to URBAN COWBOY next? GHOST THE MUSICAL?

R208, I a so jealous. We missed Anatevka by one day. This year, its Munich. By "strong German accent" do you mean a dialect such as Sächsisch? I am rather surprised that the did not make it the Osties vs the Turks.

Actually, having the dialog in German but the songs in English is standard. My favorite was a production of Silk Stockings that had the dialog in German and in Russian for the Russian characters. The songs were still in English.

R233 You're right. His parents are the immigrants. R234 R235 In no world is he seriously good looking, not even close. You can watch his performance with no sound and see from his hand movements alone that he is gay gay gay gay gay. haha. 🌈 Had us cracking up.

The end of Part I of The Inheritance has a coup de théâtre.

So I keep hearing r240.

Could you please describe it?

R241 A bunch of guys come out of nowhere from the house/audience like a flashmob and go onto the stage and they all sit at a table like the last supper while a little dollhouse hangs above them. Then blackout.

R239, only in your warped opinion is Jelana Alladin ugly or does he read as gay onstage. That's why I posted the link to the video, so people can judge for themselves.

Looking at Barbara Cook videos on Youtube, I found this one from 1982. I remember her "Better With a Band" concert that was filmed at PBS in LA in, I think, 1980, showed that she had lost some weight. But this Dick Cavett Show from '82 shows her remarkably slimmed down. She mentions that she has found a discipline she didn't have before.

Really, there are a lot of theatre roles she could have effectively done at that weight. Unfortunately, by the time of the Follies Concert three years later, her weight was back up, and by the end of the 80s - early 90s, she was obese again.

Thanks r242.

How is this a coup de theatre?

R245. I haven't seen a 'a coup de theatre' since 1989!

Standards are really slipping!!!!

I think Gleason did a lot of TV work between N&N and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. She was a regular for three seasons on that series with Susan Dey and Jay Thomas that wound up being Annie Potts and Jay Thomas, then another couple of series, then that Bette Midler sitcom thing.

this guy is hideous with a capital H. i don't get it.

R243 lmao. Good for you. R245 haha. You're welcome. You know, that's a very good question.

The Baker's Wife and Conrad Birdie pass words.....

At my performance of Part 1 of "The Inheritance," people around me were bawling like crazy at that ending, so yes, it's very effective.

R241 Here is the end of The Inheritance

Interesting that the first week of previews of The Inheritance, all the WOM was negative. Why did the tide turn?

At my performance of THE INHERITANCE people already left at the first and second intermissions and people were falling asleep. The whole show is a complete ripoff of HOWARD'S END, BOYS IN THE BAND, ANGELS IN AMERICA, LOVE VALOUR COMPASSION and LONGTIME COMPANION. All of which were done ten times better. Boring.

I will see THE INHERITANCE, but frankly, I'm waiting for discounts. I can't believe so many people will commit themselves to a 7-hour event.

I also think there's a sense of pomposity and self-importance in the way the show's being marketed. It may be an intelligent and/or challenging play, but mass audiences don't want to be "challenged." They want to be entertained, amused, and diverted from their lives--so you have to challenge and educate them along the way.

Smart writers know this.

Are there dicks in "The Inheritance"? Someone said Someone Levine gets naked -does he show dick? Is it a big one?

[quote]does he show dick? Is it a big one?

Honey, the only seat you'll be able to afford is in the rear balcony. And from there, you won't be able to tell whether it's a dick or a thumb.

R256 Yes he is completely naked. It was fine. Nothing massive and gasp inducing. He's all skin and bones. Not hot to me.

R256 Yes he is completely naked. It was fine. Nothing massive and gasp inducing. He's all skin and bones. Not hot to me.

Are we excited for "Patsy and Loretta," featuring Broadway icons Jesse Mueller and Megan Hilty? Premieres next Saturday on Lifetime.

Beverly Hills...

[quote] I also think there's a sense of pomposity and self-importance in the way the show's being marketed. It may be an intelligent and/or challenging play, but mass audiences don't want to be "challenged." They want to be entertained, amused, and diverted from their lives--so you have to challenge and educate them along the way. Smart writers know this.

Then how do you explain the success of THE COAST OF UTOPIA? Actually, I have an explanation: the Emperor's New Clothes phenomenon, which sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't.

[quote]] A bunch of guys come out of nowhere from the house/audience like a flashmob and go onto the stage and they all sit at a table like the last supper while a little dollhouse hangs above them. Then blackout.

So then it is ripping off Corpus Christi too? That had a last supper scene.

[quote]Are we excited for "Patsy and Loretta," featuring Broadway icons Jesse Mueller and Megan Hilty? Premieres next Saturday on Lifetime.

Poor Megan. She looks terrible in that black wig. She's a girl that was made to be a blonde.

"[R218], if he did, that position would be really difficult to sustain given that Matthew Lopez is not white."

True both are gay but Matthew Lopez is white-adjacent, and The Inheritance has that whole European-pedigree with Howards End being the inspiration. Jeremy Harris comes across as more Billy Porter, whereas Harris seems more Lin-Manuel.

Please note I wrote the above BEFORE tonight's SNL opening skit.

But she's awfully good casting for Patsy. I'm not as convinced by Jessie Mueller's Loretta, based solely on the trailer.

Loretta and Patsy? How original.

Didn't Patsy die in the early 60s? Why does Hilty look like one of the "Designing Women"?

That movie looks like it was produced for $4.99.

You're thinking of Suzanne Sugarbaker, r269, who definitely had a retro, big hair vibe to her.

Two more points about the WSS I saw Friday night in Berlin-during “Somewhere” Tony and Maria are met with an Old Tony and Maria, both in their 70s. The Tonys slow dance and the Marias slow dance and by the end of the song the Old Tony and Maria crumple to the ground. Also, at the conclusion, the Jets and Sharks don’t come together to carry Tony’s body away, they just stand in a semi-circle, staring at Tony and Maria. Have these choices been made in other productions or was the latter staging just for the film version?

Two more points about the WSS I saw Friday night in Berlin-during “Somewhere” Tony and Maria are met with an Old Tony and Maria, both in their 70s. The Tonys slow dance and the Marias slow dance and by the end of the song the Old Tony and Maria crumple to the ground. Also, at the conclusion, the Jets and Sharks don’t come together to carry Tony’s body away, they just stand in a semi-circle, staring at Tony and Maria. Have these choices been made in other productions or was the latter staging just for the film version?

Joanna Gleason has worked consistently since N&N, but no breakout until Into the Woods. I think she has somewhat sabotaged herself with the dramatic plastic surgery that makes her look waxen, not a good look for someone in her 70s.

Joanna Gleason didn't need to work. Her father was game show host Monty Hall.

I saw Parts I and II of The Inheritance yesterday. One of the most thrilling and emotional theatrical experiences of my lifetime. Sublime.

Kyle Soller will win the Tony. He was incredible. And whoever the actor is who played E.M. Forster should definitely be in contention for Featured Actor in a Play. He was incredibly affecting. I also loved Lois Smith’s hearty take on her character (who appears in the final 30 minutes of the play).

Also, there is a great monologue comparing Trump to AIDS, infecting the T-cells of democracy that had the entire audience rapt. One of my favorite moments of the show.

[quote]Joanna Gleason didn't need to work. Her father was game show host Monty Hall.

Because we all know that the only reason anyone attempts to have a career in the theater is to make lots and lots of money.

Save your money. Here's the premise behind "Slave Play." That's all there is.

Whether or not you agree, there's unquestionably something raw and unsettling in the playwright's position that black identity can never be wholly separated from historical oppression. The play appears to suggest that even the most liberal white perspective, on the other hand, tends to fall back on the convenient escape of not seeing race, rather than being mindful of the painful legacy of subjugation.

Debbie!

Thick thighs.

Sam Gravitte was shirtless in Almost Famous and has an amazing set of abs. If only his acting was as tight.

Is he Debbie's son?

And did we all know (on an unrelated note) that NAKED BOYS SINGING is back off-Bway? Was anyone clamoring for this?

No, they're just good friends.

Is Sam Gravitte a gay?

No, just musical.

^^That outfit certainly screams "Sing out, Louise!"

Debbie was supposed to be Bernie's standby in GYPSY.

I think it looks like part of the Ship 'n Shore wardrobe he won with his trip to Bermuda, r287.

But then a young Sam got the job.

I always liked Debbie's voice. She should have had a bigger career onstage. Her last Bway job was 15 years ago as a replacement Mama Morton in CHICAGO.

Sultry! Debbie is giving us Sophia/Raquel and a little soupcon of Gina Gershon....

Debbie played Sally in LACC's FOLLIES.

[quote] Joanna Gleason has worked consistently since N&N, but no breakout until Into the Woods

Into the Woods was three or four years before N&N.

I wouldn’t say Gleason looks “waxy” at all, but she definitely should not have had those fillers put in her cheeks.

I think you'd find her waxy if you saw her in person.

The word you homosexuals are looking for is "dewy."

she was great in Normal Heart with papi Esparza

No r296, THIS is dewy.....

I think Gleason looks great. She was wonderful as Kim Catrall's sister on Sensitive Skin a few years ago. Great show!

I Love My Wife....

The song's not bad at R300.

I love James Naughton's voice. Who is the blonde woman?

A friend of mine who saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels said Joanna Gleason looked like someone wearing a Joanna Gleason mask.

r300 needs to brush up on his "Mr. Belvedere" reruns.

"Hey There Good TImes" is a great song! Cy Coleman sure knew how to write 'em!

What was Cy Coleman's last score? Will Rogers?

The Life was after WRF.

[quote]Cy Coleman sure knew how to write 'em!

You've obviously never listened to the score of "The Life."

[quote]Cy Coleman sure knew how to write 'em!

I'll say!

Cy Coleman was always a mixed bag, but "Hey Look Me Over" is a terrific song from a bad score. There alway seem to be one or two great songs in all of his shows, even the failures. He brought a pop-jazz sensibility to Broadway which was badly needed at the time.

Coleman wasn't a bad singer, either--for a theatre composer.

(Ever hear Stephen Schwartz sing? Oy.)

Ilene Graff, r300.

Joanna Gleason was also fabulous in Boogie Nights. She would have been better noticed if the film had included a confrontation between her and Julianne Moore (seriously) - a showdown between the mother that can fuck Dirk and the mother that can't would have helped the second half.

I love Coleman's "City of Angels" score. That's a show that needs to be revived.

“Wildcat” has a fabulous overture. Besides “Hey, Look Me Over,” the other good songs are “What Takes My Fancy,” “Tall Hope” and “One Day We Dance.”

Back when the Tonys didn't have a couple minute highlights from every musical on Broadway, but gave time for the nominated ones.

Very good treatment of " City of Angels " score.

"You've Come Home" is also a fine song from WILDCAT.

[quote]I love Coleman's "City of Angels" score. That's a show that needs to be revived.

Definitely! I saw the original and it's a fun show. The only real problems for a Broadway run is that you need excellent jazz singers (those harmonies have to be tight) and it's a rather large show to mount, so it is costly. But it could be kept running by tourists.

[quote]I love Coleman's "City of Angels" score. That's a show that needs to be revived.

Roundabout can do it for their usual three month run, but it that's all it deserves.

Unfortunately, City of Angels, as clever as it was, had a weak ending.

[quote]Unfortunately, City of Angels, as clever as it was, had a weak ending.

True, but you don't know that until you get to the end of the show.

The WILDCAT score may not be absolute top drawer but even its throwaway numbers, like EL SOMBRERO and GIVE A LITTLE WHISTLE have more vibrancy than anything on Broadway in the last decade, and they're wonderfully orchestrated. And CORDUROY ROAD is a thrilling set piece, right up there with the TEA PARTY in DEAR WORLD or SOME GIRL IS ON YOUR MIND from SWEET ADELINE. But the real lost gem from WILDCAT is the gorgeous counterpoint of FAR AWAY FROM HOME and ANGELINA (which was cut along the way). Here are Mel and Margaret....

...and CORDUROY ROAD...

I like Tall Hope.....

I saw City of Angels twice. There are so many virtues to that show, and it had a perfect cast and physical production, but it felt like the show just sat there both times. For all of its wit and intelligence, it wasn't a lot of fun. I think it needed better musical staging. Its main competition that season was Grand Hotel - and Tommy Tune had several numbers in that show that made you go out of your mind, in spite of generally weaker material.

Samuel Levine, who plays Adam/Leo in The Inheritance, uses a Q-tip after taking a shower (full nudity) and then throws the used Q-tip into the audience at one point in the play.

So many things to comment on...

1) Just because you're of Latin/Hispanic descent doesn't necessarily make you "a person of color". It depends on the individual. Just like the US, there are millions of people in Latin America who would get very annoyed with you if you referred to them as anything other than white. Latin American culture is just as racially segregated as the culture north of the Rio Grande. Just because your last name is "Lopez" doesn't make you "brown" it just means you're descendant of someone originally from Spain...a country in Europe. Which isn't any different than being from Italy or the south of France or the Balkans or any other Euro country prone to dark hair and olive/tanned skin. (And, many Spanish/Spanish descent people are very light skinned.)

2) Joanna Gleason is a very talented actress but she never really had that big charismatic "star" thing...she looks like your sister or your mom or your favorite teacher in junior high. Which is fine but when you project "nice and real" instead of "hey, I'm a star!" it does affect your career.

3) I don't really get the excitement over seeing naked dudes on stage especially if they're just nude and not doing anything sexual. If you want to see naked dudes, join a gym and be the annoying guy in the locker room leering at every naked dick you see. But, whatever rows your boat.

well, smell you

High School Musical....

I got my ticket to Company today BUT I’m really not sold on Katrina Lenk. She looks like a 40 something woman who has had too much work done. Is she going to be believable as a 35 year old considering marriage? She looks like someone’s third wife.

She's a doll!

^ LMFAO!

Clinton Greenspan, the actor currently playing Aladdin on Broadway, is gorgeous. What do we know about him?

[quote] Samuel Levine, who plays Adam/Leo in The Inheritance, uses a Q-tip after taking a shower (full nudity) and then throws the used Q-tip into the audience at one point in the play.

What does he use it for, to clean the cheese from his stanksleeve?

It's not likely someone named "Levine" would possess a foreskin, R333.

He's a brit. He more than likely has one.

It didn't look like he had a foreskin from where I was sitting.

Brit Jews still abide by the old customs, r335. It's Russian Jews who gave up circumcision three or four decades ago.

You mean, Julian Morris...

R355 He's American.

Jesus, enough with the uncut/cut discussion. It's so tiring and destroys every thread it's in.

So does ending sentences with a preposition.

r332 here he is in Aladdin and he was dating a girl who played Jasmine

Whoever that is at R342 needs to immediately stick his dick down my throat and then sit on my face.

But what about his girlfriend r343?

What can she stick down your throat?

How the hell did Hadestown win best musical, it sucks, the music is awful.

I think Paul Hilton (Walter Poole/E.M. Forster In “The Inheritance”) is a good candidate for the Featured Actor in a Play Tony. I really liked his performance.

R345 The story is stupid too. But, did you see the competition? It was the only respectable, artistic choice. And that's bad.

Yeah, it should have been my show!

On Sunday's episode of The Simpsons, Fat Tony was convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and the evidence exonerating him was security cam footage of him in his secret office putting on the cast album of Follies and singing "I'm Still Here," even changing the lyrics to reflect being a mobster.

Wasn't that the best, r349?

It was certainly a nice respite from the dreck of the rest of the episode. Though last week's where Homer is put in charge of the interns at the power plant was surprisingly strong, bolstered by a great performance by Michael Rapaport.

I agree, R346, and actually think he will be the one to beat. That monologue he does in Part I is what will seal the deal for him. It's a bit too long but he delivers it flawlessly.

Are there any same-sex encounters betwen any of the characters?

...in Slave Play?

Are there any same-sex encounters between any of the characters in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"?

How about "The Sound of Music"? Any homosex there?

[Quote] "The Sound of Music"? Any homosex there?

Where there's leiderhosen...

You rang, R356?

R332- Well, we know he probably spent a weekend at the Schumacher estate.

Speaking of Schumacher, whatever happened to his “Me Too” accuser?

Rolf was using Liesl to get to young Friederich for the homosex.

There was a reason that Ruth Sherwood spent an entire musical trying to get a man and failed.

The pathological covering of the genitals in photo after photo of Herr AH. Something was going on there...castration anxiety, perhaps...and the will-to-power as its devastating consequence?

Well, this kinda explains everything.

Did it look like a little mushroom?

Well, this thread has taken a curious turn.

Intriguing article from NYT about DL fave Elaine Stritch and the Bway roles she didn't get.

Her career and level of fame, built upon a dozen Broadway shows but leads in just a few, would be impossible to duplicate today. Ultimately, what is she remembered for? Joanne in COMPANY?

She was said to have stolen the show in the PAL JOEY revival, but that amounted to a cameo and one song. GOLDILOCKS and SAIL AWAY sound fun, but they weren't hits. And a number of replacement roles in high-profile plays, or leads in revivals. And a little TV, and even littler film.

It's amazing she was/is as well known as she was/is.

how come every little they do on Dancing With the Stars look better than anything Casey Nicholaw could do on his very best day?

She had no talent and a terrible attitude. It's amazing she achieved anything at all.

Herr Zoller was grooming Rolf for later, after the Anschluss. Why do you think he switches sides?

"Still Here" is a terrible title for a biography of still dead Stritch.

But she is still here, R370.

I liked Stritch in the Ingrid Bergman role in Woody Allen’s “September.” She seemed like she was just playing herself, but it was a good performance.

Jesse Green panned "The Lightning Thief" in the Times.

How can I miss her, r371....

Lois Smith will get probably get a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

I worked with Elaine Stritch and she was one of the biggest pains in the ass that I've ever seen. Just an uphappy woman all around. And this was supposedly after she quit drinking.

Anyway, the thing about Elaine Stritch is that she stretched the truth farther than anyone ever stretched it before. I don't believe she was seriously considered for half the stuff that she says she was. She was great in the "old broad" and "fishwife" roles, but everytime I saw her perform, she always seemed to be "ACTING" in a "look how clever I am" way.

I wonder why the Times is even doing this article?

R376 Because there is a new biography out on her

But none of the roles listed in the Times article seemed to be a stretch for her, nor did the stories sound terribly embellished.

[quote]Because there is a new biography out on her

I didn't know that. I'm going to have to look for it to see if I'm mentioned!!

So I guess Elaine was a master at branding and PR before her time. More so than acting, singing, and dancing.

He had refinement.

There’s a Stritch biography coming out soon. That’s probably why the Times ran that story.

Oops sorry for the repeat info.

Harvey Fierstein, Mario Cantone, RuPaul and Russell Tovey starring in The Vagina Monologues: My Pronounces are X and XIR.

boom

I'm not leaving my fucking phone in a pouch outside. Are they outta their fucking minds? It is not that serious. Maybe if the talent and production on stage was captivating then people wouldn't be so easily distracted. Fuck outta here.

I'm surprised at how good Stritch's "He Had Refinement" is. She underplays most of it, and is quite charming. It still can't hold a candle to Shirley Booth's, but it's very good.

Shirley Booth--why isn't she as legendary as Stritch? They both had approximately the same level of achievement in theatre, TV, and film.

No they didn't. Shirley Booth starred in stage plays, movies and TV shows.

Elaine had "Sail Away" and her britcom. She featured in most everything else.

Shirley Booth won an Oscar. Stritch was never even nominated for one. How is that “the same level of achievement in film”?

Shirley Booth won two Primetime Emmys for a TV series that ran for five seasons along with an Oscar, three Tony Awards, and a Golden Globe. Her fame may have faded somewhat, but in her time, she was much bigger than Stritch.

Was she a bigger boozer?

[quote]Was she a bigger boozer?

Who’s that? Elaine Stritch? Not really. Maybe a glass of wine with dinner, but never more than that.

Can someone remind me the name of the lady dancer who self-released multiple albums (mixing showtunes with pop/club hits) in the 1970s and beyond. I think the albums were designed for use at aerobics studios.

Elaine Joyce, R395?

No. And it's wasn't Barbara (pictured) either. She was discussed on these thread a couple of months ago. The name was something very showbiz - Sarah Blazin', something like that.

Sure as hell wasn't me!

Has anyone seen “The Sound Inside”? How is MLP?

Is that Helen Mirren, r398? It looks like Helen Mirren.

Elaine Stritch is only remembered by theater fans.

It's not mentioned much, but Stritch was in the original cast of Bus Stop. She played the cafe owner, Grace.

Fun fact: Dick York, the original Darin on Bewitched, was a replacement for the cowboy stud Bo.

[quote]Elaine Stritch is only remembered by theater fans.

And bartenders. Don’t forget the bartenders.

[quote]Elaine Stritch is only remembered by theater fans.

And also, I'm guessing, by the staff of the Carlyle Hotel.

Why yes, r400...

Elaine gathered fans from her '30 Rock' appearances.

"Mommy, I've got a dolly purse for a wee-wee."

Devoted fans of "The Honeymooners" remember Elaine as the original Trixie Norton, seen at left, next to Pert Kelton as Alice. Gleason canned Stritch after one episode and replaced her with Joyce Randolph. (Joyce is still with us; she'll turn 95 on Oct. 21st.)

R408, I'll never forget walking into the Imperial Theater many years ago on my way to see a Saturday matinee of "The Boy from Oz" with Hugh Jackman. There was this elderly lady standing in the lobby who appeared to be waiting for someone. As I passed her, I realized it was Joyce Randolph. Unable to help myself, I walked over to her, said hello, and told her I was a fan. Just adorable, she smiled and seemed genuinely surprised that someone recognized her. I quickly moved away and left her alone after that but it was so nice to have that moment with her.

Hugh was great but I couldn't believe I'd just met Trixie Norton. That was the highlight of my day. Happy birthday, Joyce!

Shirley won 3 Tonys, 2 Emmy's and an Oscar! Beat that, Elaine!

Plus Shirley got to play Dolly Levi in the movie version of "The Matchmaker" and could have actually done the musical version if she wanted to, since she had starred in musicals on Broadway already.

THR review: "Little Shop of Horrors":

Because the author of the article has a book coming out next week.

R408, but did you know that when “The Honeymooners” first reappeared on “Jackie Gleason’s American Scene Magazine” in 1962, Alice was Sue Ann Langdon and Trixie was Fiorello’s Patricia Wilson? When the title was changed to “The Jackie Gleason Show,” Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean came in as Alice and Trixie.

I did know that, R414. Toward the end of the "American Scene Magazine" seasons, after doing the short sketches with Art Carney, Sue Ane Langdon and Patricia Wilson, Gleason produced a one-hour musical, "The Adoption" (based on an episode from the '50s), in which Audrey Meadows returned as Alice. (Trixie is off visiting her mother, or someone, and doesn't appear in the hour show.) That episode became the template for the hour-long musical episodes from Miami Beach. Gleason asked Audrey Meadows to play Alice in the Miami Beach shows, but she didn't want to leave New York, and that's when Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean came aboard. In one of the Miami Beach episodes, Pert Kelton (remembered now for "The Music Man"). the original Alice, played Alice's mother. In the '70s, Gleason and Carney did a series of "Honeymooners" specials in which Audrey Meadows returned as Alice. Jane Kean, rather than Joyce Randolph, played Trixie on those shows.

Was Pert Kelton let go because she was a drinker or because she was a Commie? I can't remember.

Supposedly Pert Kelton had health problems. Something about her heart, I think. But her health seemed fine when she was doing eight performances a week of "The Music Man" on Broadway six years later. She was blacklisted.

Miss Booth warbling....

And......

Will Little Shop extend?

I think "Little Shop" already extended, but the performances are sold out.

Didn't LITTLE SHOP extend once already?

I just heard on a podcast that they're sold out for their entire run. That review from THR makes me wish I had gotten tix.

Is the Little Shop that features a trans woman as Audrey (singing very much in a mannish voice)?

I looked this morning. There are tics available but nothing under $239.

Like....facial tics?

That Ethel Merman-Donald O'Connor duet waaay up thread was fantastic! How had I never heard/seen that song before? (The lyrics of O'Connor's part were especially nice.) Even an eldergay can learn so much here -- thanks, DL!

[quote]Is the Little Shop that features a trans woman as Audrey (singing very much in a mannish voice)?

No, that was the production out in LA, I think.

It's at the Pasadena Playhouse with Amber Riley as Audrey II.

Joyce Randolph's son is a big 'mo. I met him once more than 25 years ago through mutual friends. I mentioned to the group that I'd gone to the Actor's Benefit matinee of Guys and Dolls that afternoon. He jumped in, saying he was there too and sat next to Celeste Holm (she must have been the definition of fruit fly!) After he left, one of my friends, who worked with him, said he wouldn't shut up about being Joyce Randolph's son. He has not aged well.

I'd like to see a trans version of "Woman of the Year." It just needs a title change to "They of the Year."

I wonder what the Carlyle charged Elaine? I can’t imagine it was very economical to live there. She could have bought a place back in the 70s/80s for next to nothing by today’s standards. Strange that she choose to live in a hotel. If I remember from the documentary about her it was just a small king room too.

I met Elaine twice. The first time was pretty surreal I was a valet at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills. A car pulled up and Elaine gets out. Of course the other guys had no idea who she was but I was thrilled to see her. Then, we hear a voice...Jane Fonda’s voice. I look up and Fonda has the frenchdoor of her suite wide open and she’d yelling down “Welcome Elaine”. Elaine waves up and shouts “Hi Jane, so great to see you” Then she walks into the hotel and stops in front of me, motions up toward Jane’s suite and says “Now that’s class honey”. They were both in town filming “Monster in Law”.

Then when Jane was in “33 Variations” on Broadway I was waiting at will call, second in line and Elaine comes in and cuts the line to pick up her tickets. I said “Nice to see you Ms Stritch” and she said “Good evening” then she turned around and got confused about how to get into the actual theatre. She was turning in circles so I walked up to her and offered to guide her over to the entrance which she accepted. So I linked her arm and took her over to front of the line for entering the theatre.

Holy shit! Joyce Randolph is still alive at age 94!

[quote]Holy shit! Joyce Randolph is still alive at age 94!

That was already mentioned upthread. She'll turn 95 on Monday. Happy birthday, Joyce!

Here's Joyce Randolph with her queeny son, Randy Charles, and his ... date??? ... John Cameron Mitchell.

For r426.

Randy in his rainbow finery. Joyce has to know.

Call Me Madam is really a great movie. Most of the changes they made were spot on, although I could do without the "International Rag."

He has his mother’s lovely eyes in R436 and looks better than he did when he was younger in R434.

Did Joyce and son get a 2fer on those wigs?

[Quote] Strange that she choose to live in a hotel.

She couldn't bother the staff damn near 24/7 if she lived in her own place.

[quote]That Ethel Merman-Donald O'Connor duet waaay up thread was fantastic! How had I never heard/seen that song before?

Have you never been to a piano bar? That song is constantly done by old queens. And some young ones too.

I do NOT BRAY!

[quote]I wonder what the Carlyle charged Elaine? I can’t imagine it was very economical to live there. She could have bought a place back in the 70s/80s for next to nothing by today’s standards. Strange that she choose to live in a hotel. If I remember from the documentary about her it was just a small king room too.

She had a house in one of those towns north of New York City. I can't remember which one, possibly Rye or Tarrytown. She seemed to prefer hotel living because she lived in one when she lived in London.

I imagine because Elaine was performing there that they struck some type of discount. She brings in all the old queens to buy their expensive drinks, she gets 50% off the rate. However, I can't figure out how she got away with it. NYC has a very strict law that doesn't allow people to live long term in hotels. Maybe she checked out every so often and then came back and restarted the lease to avoid that law.

[quote] She couldn't bother the staff damn near 24/7 if she lived in her own place.

This is so true!! I worked with her and she is one of the biggest attention whores. The first day of rehearsal, she came in and told everyone within earshot that she was a diabetic. She holds up a brown bag and bellows, "I need a refrigerator for my insulin." Then she demanded that the rehearsal schedule be changed around (after the Equity actors had already voted and approved it). She could only work until 12:00 noon and then she had to stop and eat lunch or she might go into diabetic shock.

I know Encores' recent staging of Call Me Madam kinda just laid there, but is the show unrevivable?

It's a bit of a relic from the 50's, but you never know. With the right star, it could be terrific. Carmen Cusack is a decent performer, but she's no star

I thought CALL ME MADAM was charming at Encores. Cusack was miscast, but she was apparently a last-minute replacement, and she tried hard. The supporting cast was quite good.

But yes, it's a silly, dated book, and largely unrevivable, short of major surgery on the entire thing.

Caroline O'Connor!

[quote]She had a house in one of those towns north of New York City. I can't remember which one, possibly Rye or Tarrytown. She seemed to prefer hotel living because she lived in one when she lived in London.

I believe Elaine had a place in Sag Harbor. As for the Carlyle, I had always heard that she somehow managed to get them to agree to let her live there for FREE. Is that incorrect? I had heard from people who knew her well that she was the one of the cheapest persons who ever lived.

[quote]Cusack was miscast, but she was apparently a last-minute replacement, and she tried hard. The supporting cast was quite good.

I never heard that. A last minute replacement for whom?

Good question, r444. It’s kind of “quaint,” especially in light of what American politics has become.

I imagine if Audra McDonald wanted to do it, they could get eight months to a year out of it.

[quote]NYC has a very strict law that doesn't allow people to live long term in hotels. Maybe she checked out every so often and then came back and restarted the lease to avoid that law.

Residential hotels were common in NYC through the 1980s. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn lived in one. The Chelsea Hotel was one. I knew someone who lived there for decades.

Elaine Stritch living in The Chelsea Hotel sounds like a fabulous premise for a sitcom.

Hotels have apartments set aside in NY. This is not a new or confusing thing.

This is very random, but does anyone know a good place to get poppers near the Winter Garden Theater?

KFC sells them.

[quote] NYC has a very strict law that doesn't allow people to live long term in hotels.

The hell you say?

Elaine wasn’t in an apartment, she was in a room. It was tiny. Back in the day celebrities lived in hotels all over. Several cemebrkties lived in the Beverly Hills hotel for months/years, the Beverly Wiltshire too. There was a hotel in SF that lots of musicians lived in but the name escapes me right now. That seems to have changed. I’m not sure if it’s economic or laws changed or what. When I worked in a BH hotel, we got actors and showbiz types staying for weeks at a time when they were in town filming. It was a special rate but still insane. A suite that retailed for $1,500 per night would be given to the production company for $1,000 per night. A pool cabana was usually $500 per day, if they wanted it as their office for the day, it was $350. Without a record label/production company footing the bill I can’t imagine too many actors/musicians paying those prices today when they could get bigger digs in Airbnb.

I was a lady of the corridor.

[quote]I think "Little Shop" already extended, but the performances are sold out.

Jonathan Groff has proven himself to be quite the bankable star on the New York stage. Too bad this isn't on Broadway because the Tony would be his to lose.

R258 Completely agree.

Anybody know if the Bobby Darin musical is still in the works? Groff got great reviews for that show too.

Kevin Spacey would insist on being Bobby Darin

You mean there's ANOTHER one, R460?

[quote]Several cemebrkties lived in the Beverly Hills hotel

But you can't make assumptions based on what cemebrkties do, r456.

I'm trying to pronounce that....

I'm the poster who saw The Inheritance Pt. 1 a couple weeks ago and said I would reserve judgment until I saw the Pt. 2, which I saw yesterday.

Before I start, let me just say that I was excited to see the show, had wanted to see it in London last year but didn't get the opportunity.

I think the direction is marvelous and the acting outstanding. The problem is the play itself. It's just too long and there is at least a good hour (or more) that could be cut (some of Act 2, Pt. 1 comes to mind). It amazed me when It came crashing down at the end like a Victorian melodrama. I was waiting for some DLer to stand up and shout MARY! at that point, but no one did. I was hoping for something better written. But what I found irritating in Pt. 1 then drove me crazy in Pt. 2, was the endless narration by characters in their "special voices." I wanted to slap a couple (the actor who played Eric had an especially irritating "special voice"), but then I realized they were just doing their job/their best with what was written. There is just too much narration for my taste.

I can't believe this will ever be revived in 10 or 20 years. Not without major cuts and overhaul. The reason it is doing so well is because (as I said earlier) of the wonderful direction and acting as well as discussing current topics, but I don't think it will hold up well.

Pt 2 is the problem with The Inheritance. It never surpasses the finale of Pt. 1 which, though moving to a degree, is kind of completely ripped off from Longtime Companion, which I guess not a lot of people have seen. The whole thing could lose an hour or more. It just circles around in Pt. 2 and, in doing so, gets a bit like Jacqueline Susann.

Why is anyone worried about a revival 10 or 20 years from now? I thought Part 1 was superb. Can't wait for 2.

I remember Longtime Companion vividly and didn't think Inheritance ripped it off. What works, works.

Completely agree about The Inheritance. I saw it on the West End and thought Part 1 was tighter than Part 2. The acting and direction was superb though. I think a big problem of the play was that it focused on so many things that it became rather unfocused at times. It takes on so much that it gets a little lost. Also, without spoiling anything, I wasn't too keen on the ending of Part 2. I think with some readjustments it could really be elevated. Did they change anything when it transferred to NY? They could have easily trimmed it.

[448] I think she was a replacement for Patti Lupone but not sure...

I don't think we'll know for sure about CALL ME MADAM casting. I'm the poster who mentioned Carmen Cusack being a last-minute replacement.

Supposedly, Kristin Chenoweth was offered the part and expressed interest when the ENCORES season was being planned, then pulled out, for whatever reason. It's such a high-visibility role (and in a season otherwise lacking in star power) that it was then offered to any number of other actresses. Hadn't heard about LuPone but it doesn't surprise me.

The ENCORES rehearsal period is so abbreviated (2 weeks, I think) that I can understand why even the women who were available may not have wanted to take on an opportunity to make an ass of themself if they didn't already know the material. That character largely carries the show.

I say, good for Cusack for making the best of it. Not a stellar performance--she sounded a bit tired the night I saw her--but looked great and gave it her best shot.

It should have been Caroline O'Connor's gig.

Chenoweth has an upcoming Xmas TV movie. Maybe she got that job at the time she turned down Encores!

What's the word on "Six?" (Supposedly opening at the Brooks Atkinson next year.) Some friends of mine saw it on a cruise ship and enjoyed it.

SIX is good. It is to Brit girl pop what Hamilton is to American hip hop. It's only a little over an hour long, but no one seems to mind.

Has the pop band Six sued for trademark infrignement?

*infringement

[quote]It should have been Caroline O'Connor's gig.

Why? Did the part call for a little gnome who makes scrunched up cutesy faces?

[Quote] Why? Did the part call for a little gnome who makes scrunched up cutesy faces?

Fuck off Benay.

Sad news....

Paula Glogau, DL Spirit Animal and the opinionated lady from those old GRAND HOTEL ads, has passed on.

Next spring on Bway is shaping up to be... underwhelming.

Not to pick on Laura Linney (who seems like a nice gal, but whom I found surprisingly dull onstage), but this seems like another "why bother?" project:

[quote]My Name is Lucy Barton Play, Broadway Tickets at Telecharge Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue Four-time Emmy winner, two-time Golden Globe winner, three-time Academy Award and four-time Tony nominee Laura Linney returns to Broadway in a haunting new solo play, My Name is Lucy Barton, adapted by Rona Munro from the bestselling novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout. Linney plays Lucy Barton, a woman who wakes after an operation to find – much to her surprise – her mother at the foot of her bed. They haven’t seen each other in years. During their days-long visit, Lucy tries to understand her past, works to come to terms with her family, and begins to find herself as a writer. This spellbinding story is directed by five-time Olivier Award winner Richard Eyre “with a keen-eyed compassion.” – The New York Times. Performances: Mon 7:00 pm, Tues 7:00 pm, Wed 8:00 pm, Th 8:00 pm, Fri 8:00 pm, Sat 2:00 pm, Sat 8:00 pm Previews begin 01/06/20, Opening 01/15/20, Closes 02/29/20

Solo? So it's an evening of Laura talking to her invisible dead mother from her hospital bed?

Cheese on rice--I'd sooner sit through the CATS revival again.

Wow. I'm shocked she was still alive.

Trying melting some good cheese on brown rice in the microwave -- it's pretty good if you want something tasty in a pinch. (Otherwise, I never heard that expression before.)

I LOVED her SO much....

Laura, r481? Oh, she's fine. She sends her love.

My health is quite good, R481.

I'm off now to try some of some of R482's tasty suggestion.

Has Laura Linney given the world her Mama Rose yet?

Hiddleston is decent in "Betrayal". Competent but not especially noteworthy. The real reason to go see it is the very capable and sexy Charlie Cox. His charm and surprising stage presence (not to mention the thick thighs and nice bulge filling out his jeans) make an otherwise boring play bearable.

Has anyone seen or sampled Charlie's Cox?

Charlie bares all

[quote]I LOVED her SO much....

While she did do an excellent "man(woman) on the street", I still prefer the naturalness of the white haired lady in Beatlemania.

"Ha, it was really great." Subtext: And as soon as I get my ears to stop ringing, I am going to hail a cab and go to the Plaza for a Cosmopolitan and try to forget that my daughter-in-law gave me this for my birthday when all I wanted was a bottle of Jean Nate bath splash.

[quote]The ENCORES rehearsal period is so abbreviated (2 weeks, I think) that I can understand why even the women who were available may not have wanted to take on an opportunity to make an ass of themself if they didn't already know the material. That character largely carries the show.

The official rehearsal period is indeed very brief, but of course, that doesn't prevent the stars and featured players from learning the material cold before rehearsals begin, so then they only have to concentrate on the staging. Some performers can do this very successfully (many examples), and others cannot (Olympia Dukakis).

[quote]I say, good for Cusack for making the best of it. Not a stellar performance--she sounded a bit tired the night I saw her--but looked great and gave it her best shot.

Agreed.

"the stars and featured players from learning the material cold before rehearsals begin"

That's what they do usually in opera, though the Encores shows are rarities that maybe their coaches aren't as familiar with depending on how rare they are.

Coaches?

[quote]Coaches?

High level actors and actresses have vocal and acting coaches.

Singers usually use coaches to learn their material in opera and many times in musicals as well, going to one who specializes in that particular field.

vocal coaches, that is

Then i would say, don't hire a coach who isn't familiar with that particular Encore show

Call Me Madam is a fairly well known show. It's not like one of the lesser shows that Encores did, like Sweet Adeline.

I was told by someone in the cast that Cusak was like, the 17th person to be asked; all the rest had said no.

[quote]Singers usually use coaches to learn their material in opera and many times in musicals as well, going to one who specializes in that particular field.

Sissies! Why in MY day ...

I guess we really do have a secret Broadway source here. A month after it was announced in one of these threads that Matt Doyle will be Jamie in the new COMPANY, it’s been officially announced. Lots of good new castings. .

Etai Benson as Paul, Nikki Renee Daniels as Jenny, Claybourne Elder as Andy, Bobby Conte Thornton ad PJ, Kyle Dean Massey as Theo, Chris Sieber as Harry, Greg Hildreth as Peter, Jennifer Simard as Sarah, Terrence Archie as Larry, Christopher Fitzgerald as David. Is that all the parts, or are they still missing a female?

[quote]Is that all the parts, or are they still missing a female?

Who's playing Joanne? I thought LuPone only said she'd bring it to Broadway if the entire cast transferred. Personally, I'd like to see Betty Buckley do it.

I never miss a Betty Buckley musical comedy.

R502 Patti is doing it. She said the West End production was going to be her last musical but ultimately agreed to star in the Broadway version. Not sure if it had anything to do with the all female version of Glengarry Glen Ross not (?) happening, which she was meant to be in.

And Katrina Link as Bobbie was announced at the same time as LuPone.

LuPone is smart. If this is her last musical, it will be going out on a personal triumph.

R505 Agreed. She'll win the Tony and end on a high.

I'm anxious to see Patti's new hips in action.

Bump

If you're gonna bump it, r508....

I hate when actors say they're retiring or this will be their last musical or TV appearance or movie. In this business, you never know. You might end up getting offered the role of a lifetime at 82.

So Claybourne Elder is the air mattress, er, flight attendant who gets to sing Barcelona and babble about butterflies in his underwear? I'm OK with that.

[quote]I hate when actors say they're retiring or this will be their last musical or TV appearance or movie.

I hate it also.

I just watched a few minutes of a "Tales of the Unexpected" with Gloria Grahame and Joseph Cotten. Both would have done well to announce a retirement long before and stuck to it...

[quote}I hate when actors say they're retiring or this will be their last musical or TV appearance or movie. In this business, you never know. You might end up getting offered the role of a lifetime at 82.

With LuPone (and probably some others), I'm sure it was just a power play. She made a big statement that she was retiring because she didn't feel she was fully appreciated, and she wanted people to beg her not to retire.

It's probably because, despite what she says, she knows she's not box office. She was hoping for the "farewell tour" bump.

LuPone isn't retiring. What she said is, she doesn't want to do musicals anymore - that they are too hard. Having to protect her voice so she can sing, etc.

I wonder if there's another telelvised concert planned for Sondheim's 90th. I'm still bummed that Cleo Laine didn't appear at the last BBC one (nor Julia McKenzie), and Laine was still performing and in fine voice.

Who's left to perform? The toast of Broadway these days is who? Isaac Powell? Laura Osnes? Orfeh?

Yikes, r513.....

Gavin Creel's voice is a fave of mine but his performances are variable. He was in a verison of Bounce/Road Show, so he has a connection. Ben Platt will probably take part.

Not quite as bad as this, r513.

Thank you for posting that, r521. It proves that Miss Hopkins was never much of an actress.

Now, now, Bette was always complimentary of Miriam's acting ability.

R510 I agree. Although, I could see her doing plays and just retiring from musicals. I think she mentioned how exhausted she gets doing them. Her hip also causes her a lot of problems and limits her. I saw her in Company on the West End and they had her sit down in some of the dance sequences. They kinda make it a character thing but I'm sure it's because of her hip. Whilst on the subject of Miss Lupone...

What's the source of the hip problem? An accident? Genetics?

John Houseman calling out Patti for her shocking diction is delicious

[quote] What's the source of the hip problem? An accident? Genetics?

Karma.

[quote]They kinda make it a character thing but I'm sure it's because of her hip

She has since had the second hip replaced as well, so she's good to go. Except that Patti has NEVER wanted to do ensemble numbers, even as a lead.

Well I suppose she's game if the staging isn't complicated....

Actually, Bette Midler might make an interesting Joanne in Company.

What's everyone's take on the rest of the Company cast?

[quote]Actually, Bette Midler might make an interesting Joanne in Company.

No she wouldn't. Her Borscht Belt style of line delivery is wrong for Joanne. Bette always said her lines like she was thinking, "Aren't I the most brilliant comedienne? Well, aren't I?"

Why has there not been a recent revival of "Oh! Calcutta!"?

[quote]Claybourne Elder

Seems like the perfect name for a Mormon. Do they have to refer to him as Elder Elder?

Watched Patsy Vs. Loretta. Megan carried it. Laura has a very big nose

Shit, I forgot all about that! Is it worth searching out, r535?

^ Better than the usual Lifetime shit, I think. Was really nice to have actual people who can sing singing the score. That was bloody refreshing.

Imagine, casting singers for singing roles. Is kinda cheap, but sweet. And Megan is excellent. Patsy is played hard, so yeah, download it

[quote]Why has there not been a recent revival of "Oh! Calcutta!"?

Maybe because it's a terrible show?

Broadway doesn't have enough medium to small sized dicks to do Oh Calcutta now. No one was particularly hung in the original.

Who knew?

The Patty Duke Show

TODAY, 4:30 PM ON KTTV 11.3, 30 MIN 1965 TV-G

Season 3 • Episode 13 • Patty and the Great Outdoors

Patty goes in for nature study after meeting a forestry student. Patty/Cathy: Patty Duke. Richard: Eddie Applegate. Natalie: Jean Byron. Hank: James Brolin. Joan: Kim Carnes. Martin: William Schallert. Ross: Paul O'Keefe...

[quote]Watched Patsy Vs. Loretta. Megan carried it. Laura has a very big nose

Who's Laura?

Don't look at me, R541.

My thoughts EXACTLY, R465.

There are too many monologues - narrations, really — in The Inheritance.

But there is no denying the power of the end of Part 1 - people around me were absolutely sobbing.

Now, let’s talk about how bad “The Great Society” is.

Does one need to see Part II, or can one just see Part I of The Inheritance?

Of course you can see only Part 1, just as you can read half a book.

r540, what does that have to do with theatre gossip? Why did you post it here?

I knew how annoyed you would get, r546. That's it. That's the only reason.

I'll only forgive you, r547, because you started the Perry Mason thread.

Well, thank you, r548. Given Miss Duke has FOLLIES cred and Mr. Brolin has Broadway cred (via injection), it wasn't totally off-topic.

Patti Duke has FOLLIES cred?

Please to explain.

Patty Duke played Phyllis when the Reprise Company did a concert version of "Follies." Reprise was the ugly stepsister of Encores!, a vaguely similar mission with none of the spark, creativity, and artistic vision that made Encores! important.

Every once in a while, Reprise could score with a decent cast and/or director, but mostly it was mediocre at best. "Follies" didn't even reach that low bar. It was really awful. Patty played Phyllis, but the songs eluded her. Vicki Carr was Sally and sang surprisingly well. Bob Gunton was Ben, and Harry Groener was Buddy. Donna McKechnie was Carlotta, Justine Johnston did her 1971 role of Old Heidi, and Carol Lawrence and Grover Dale danced Vincent and Vanessa. No one was bad, a couple of them were very good (Groener, McKechnie), but it just laid landed there on stage with a thud.

Reprise came back from a ten year death last summer, and was gone again after two shows.

Reprise was in Los Angeles, by the way.

I saw both parts of The Inheritance last week, and I tend to agree with what posters here have written. Part I is the better, and more moving. Part II is less tight, with some themes tending toward melodrama, and less group involvement.

The ending seems too extended, with several endings, one after the other. (I had thought this was due to ongoing work on the script, but the published script is pretty much the same.) And, the dependence on the plot of Howard’s End only goes so far, with a few unresolved issues. (I can’t really discuss this in detail, to avoid spoilers.)

Curiously, though the theater was sold out the night I saw Part I, it seemed only about 3/4 full for Part II. Further, when I bought tickets to see both parts again, a couple of months from now, it seems Part I is scheduled to be performed more often than Part II.

I’m glad the producers decided to do both parts. (Unlike Angels in America, which I originally saw as a marathon, with both parts, in L. A. in 1992, but was then stretched out for its New York engagement, opening each part in separate seasons, a year apart, cannily qualifying for an entirely new set of Tonys, which it did win.)

I actually doubt Part II of The Inheritance will be as well received as Part I. But it’s such a relief to experience a play about thought and feeling, with direction and performances that make one grateful that theater exists. And certainly enough of it is sterling theater of the first order.

By all means, go and see for yourselves.

Whoopi is playing Deloris in Sister Act: The Musical in London next summer, with Jennifer Saunders as the Mother Superior. Won’t they have to substantially alter the score for Whoopi?

Whoopi says the role is being rewritten for an "older" actress, kind of throwing Patina Miller under the bus, as if it should always have been an older actress playing it.

The production was noteworthy, what with Phyllis being shorter than Sally!

Darren Criss as the young junkie in AMERICAN BUFFALO? I just choked on ma chicken.

So ridiculously wrong, but they have to sell tickets.

R558, I'm not a huge fan of Darren Criss, but why do you think he's so wrong for that part in AMERICAN BUFFALO? I dont' think they'll have any problem deglamorizing him and making him look like a street kid. He'll embrace that to get into the character and hopefully earn some award nominations.

Stalling as long as we DAARREE!

I don't think she really wanted to do it, r560. The director was very insistent in casting her, for whatever reason. Here's Miss Vicki (audio).....

I want to go!

Nance in Detroit....

Edie in Detroit....

I really thought it was a mistake when I read about "American Buffalo" starring Darren Criss. he is cute and adorable, but a dramatic he is not. And so wrong for Mamet. I really do not get it

About "The Inheritance" I saw it on Saturday (both parts). I had already seen it in London. I like the play but I think it has lost a little bit of the momentum that it had after the Young Vic. Also, the poster and the campaign are completely wrong. It looks like a bad Benetton campaign (there is a joke about benetton in the play).

On Saturday, the matinee was maybe a little over 55% while the evening performance, maybe, had around 60%. The producers should be worried.

FOLLIES!

[quote]I really thought it was a mistake when I read about "American Buffalo" starring Darren Criss. he is cute and adorable, but a dramatic he is not. And so wrong for Mamet. I really do not get it

Do you know AMERICAN BUFFALO? First of all, the role in question is really not that big, and doesn't require much from an actor other than playing a vulnerable, put-upon mess of a young junkie. As for being "wrong for Mamet," Criss won an Emmy for playing the very dark role of Andrew Cunanan in "The Assassination of Gianni Versace." Again, I'm not a huge fan of Criss, but for you to be SO SURE that he's wrong for this part in AMERICAN BUFFALO makes you look stupid.

[R568] Yes. I know American Buffalo and I have seen it many times. He is wrong for that role. I also saw him in "How to Succeed" and he did not convince anyone of his acting abilities. Yes, I know that it was a musical but....

[quote]Yes. I know American Buffalo and I have seen it many times. He is wrong for that role.

Did you see him in the Versace thing, and if so, did you feel his acting was bad in that? So bad that you're positive he can't handle the not very difficult supporting role of Bobby in AMERICAN BUFFALO?

If Criss is playing the kid in American Buffalo, does that mean they are going to make the homoeroticism of the play more evident than most productions do?

[quote]I also saw him in "How to Succeed" and he did not convince anyone of his acting abilities.

That was at the beginning of his professional career. He’s improved a lot since then, as his multiple awards for “Versace” will attest.

I also agree that Criss was outstanding in VERSACE. That miniseries had problems, mostly on a writing and directorial level. But Criss was stellar, along with Edgar Ramirez, Judith Light, and a few others.

He can definitely handle drama.

Now I'm a little obsessed with the Patti Duke FOLLIES in LA. I found another production photo.

Was the set leftover from a revival of HAIR? Or TOMMY?

Blythe Danner never ascended to such heights!

Loved Lazarus in Amsterdam last night. The make lead (Dragan Bakema) is a good actor but didn’t have a strong enough singing voice for the Bowie material. The female lead (Noortje Herlaar), however, was genuinely sensational. Wow. “Changes” was fucking GREAT because of her performance. And the guy playing Valentine was not only a strong singer he was super hot looking. At no point during the production the songs had a stopping point for applause but at the curtain call there was an almost immediate standing ovation which I don’t think was started by Americans in the audience.

Saw INHERITANCE twice in the past week. Both were full to the brim. And the audience was mesmerized.

According to BWW, INHERITANCE was at 66.63% ($468,150). "Both were full to the brim" might have been comps (like I had). It should be the talk of the town. It is very good and an outstanding cast, it should be doing so much better and, more importantly, there is no buzz.

Article about the death of Reprise 2.0. And that bitch is still saying they're planning to do "Grand Hotel."

BTW, I saw the "Sweet Charity" with Laura Bell Bundy and DL fave Barrett Foa and it was pretty good.

R568-So YOU know AMERICAN BUFFALO? The role IS that big, and Criss is too old, and not a very good actor. He may have had Ryan Murphy holding his hand the whole time in VERSACE, but Neal Pepe isn't going to do that. He's big mistake, plus Fishburne and Rockwell will wipe the floor with his remains.

“Fill it to the rim.” “With BRIM?”

Loved that coffee commercial.

R581, you sound like a tiresome queen who's CONVINCED that, because Criss is pretty, that means he can't act. I HIGHLY doubt that Neil Pepe would have agreed to star casting of Criss if he didn't feel he could handle the role -- which, at any rate, is NOT that large and, although it does require intensity, doesn't require a whole lot in terms of range or nuance.

So we'll have to wait and see if your prediction that Criss will crash and burn is correct. But even if he gets great reviews and award nominations, and even if you see the performance and think he turned out to be great in the role, you'll probably still insist otherwise because you won't be able to admit you were wrong.

R583-AB is one of my favorite plays. I've seen many productions, both here and in London. I've never seen a Bobby to match John Savage. I would love to be proven wrong. But I don't have high hopes for this choice.

The Inheritance hasn’t even officially opened yet. It’s still in previews. I saw it two weeks ago and was very moved. The audience was completely full.

I promise to be deeply moved by THE INHERITANCE if my tickets are free.

[quote]Now I'm a little obsessed with the Patti Duke FOLLIES in LA. I found another production photo.

I hate to break it to you, r574, but that's not the Patty Duke FOLLIES. It's the LA production (at the Ahmanson) of the recent-ish Broadway revival, which had most of the Broadway cast, but Vicky Clark replacing Bernadette, who had pre-booked concerts that she couldn't clear. That's Ron Raines and Jan Maxwell in those two pictures.

The Patty Follies isn't worth getting obsessed over. As that clip of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" shows, it was pretty bad. Even in cases where the casting was spot on - like Groener and Gunton and Donna McKechnie - it just didn't work. And the direction/ "choreography" (blame Arthur Allen Seidelman and Kay Cole) was awful.

I'm going to see the "west coast regional theatre premiere" of "Something Rotten" tomorrow night. Supposedly they're bragging about getting mid-show standing O's. I didn't realize it was that kind of a show.

I found "Something Rotten!" extremely tedious. A few good jokes, but not nearly enough. And one not-very-funny gag (it involves confusing "Hamlet" and "omelet") pounded into the ground over and over and over to the point where it was the equivalent of Chinese water torture. Correction: relentless Chinese water torture.

Have fun, R588!

[quote]And one not-very-funny gag...pounded into the ground over and over and over to the point where it was the equivalent of Chinese water torture.

That's easy for you to say, R589, meanwhile [bold][italic]I [/italic] have worms in my [italic]scrotum[/italic]![/bold]

Dammit! Tried to be too smart with formatting.

[bold]I have [italic]worms[/italic] in my [italic]scrotum![/italic][/bold]

Aha! I can blame a DL software glitch.

Isn’t the line “I have maggots in my scrotum”?

Is there a kind of "unrelentless" Chinese water torture?

THIRD MIDNIGHT!

Who wants to start another thread, or must I do everything around here?

[quote]Is there a kind of "unrelentless" Chinese water torture?

I was referencing a joke from "The Boys in the Band." Donald to Michael: "Sometimes you remind me of the Chinese water torture. I take that back. Sometimes you remind me of the relentless Chinese water torture."

Not a great joke, but still better than most of those in "Something Rotten!"

Oh, fuck it. Guess I do have to do everything.

Hate away. Haters gonna hate.

Bajour!

Ankles Aweigh!